Arthritis is one of the most commonly occurring health situations present universally around the globe. In US alone there are about one in three people ailing with this disease. Arthritis is a condition that occurs as a result of inflammation of bone joints. As inflammation is the natural reaction of the body against any foreign presence or disease or injury in the body, arthritis is an auto-immune disorder. This means that certain changes in the bones of the joints are interpreted as alien and body reacts to them resulting in majority of arthritic forms. There are in all about a hundred different types of arthritis identified. It can affect adult men and women as well as children.

Although exact cause of arthritis is not yet completely known, it can be attributed to a horde of reasons ranging from genetic influences to immunological, endocrinal, toxicological, digestive and emotional disturbances. Most treatments take the same route at least in the cases of the more prevalent forms of the disease. Certain very specialized treatments are administered in the cases where the disease affects parts of the body other than the joints and bones. Oxidative stress is also considered to be a major reason for the increase in number of cases of arthritis. Excessive oxidative stress and presence of excessive numbers of free radicals in the human system somehow triggers the immune system to act against itself resulting in many auto-immune disorders, arthritis is just one of them.

It is a painful disease, which if not curtailed in time may lead to considerable restriction in movement. There is no single wholesome permanent cure for arthritis. One has to live with it on a daily basis. Therefore it is best to find the concoction of remedies, both conventional and alternate, which is most suitable to one's individual needs to be able to lead as painless and unrestricted lifestyle as possible. Since arthritis occurs so commonly and variedly the starting point of achieving this is to educate and equip oneself with as much information as possible on this subject. There are many types of arthritis found. They can be listed as:

• Osteo arthritis.
• Rheumatoid arthritis.
• Gout.

• Pseudo gout.
• Reiter's syndrome.
• Psoriatic arthritis.

Arthritis is found in children also. Certain injuries caused due to rigorous activities like sports involving hyper active usage of joints also result in typical arthritic conditions. Sometimes blood vessels also get inflamed resulting in painful vascular arthritic conditions.

The ends of a bone are covered with spongy material at a joint. This material prevents the ends of the bone from rubbing into each other while movement. The bone joint is further surrounded by a slimy lubricating fluid called sinovial fluid which is filled within the sinovial cavity. The bones at the joint are attached with strong connecting tissue called ligaments. The whole joint is further supplemented with muscles and tendons to facilitate movement. In osteoarthritis the cartilage of the bone joints begins to wear off leading to friction between the bones making the movement restricted and painful. Slowly the whole joint becomes inflamed leading to depletion in the sinovial fluid. It can happen anywhere in the body but generally the weight bearing joints are affected by it. Osteoarthritis occurs mainly as the age advances and cartilage degenerates. This is therefore called degenerative arthritis also.

Osteoporosis: 

This is a disease characterised by nutritional deficiency. It is mainly dependent on the imbalance of levels of calcium and hormone female sex hormone estrogen in the system. This is a common occurrence in menopausal women. It is also related with the dietary aspect of lifestyle. With high intake of white flour products, refined sugars and fat and a diet that is deficient in essential mineral nutrients a situation arises where the calcium is not adequately absorbed by the body. Increase in the consumption of carbonated beverages also results in a situation where there is such high intake of phosphorus that it hampers the absorption of calcium. Slowly the calcium content of the bones depletes resulting in situation of osteoporosis.

This is again a set of diseases that are degenerative in nature and generally the patients benefit by turning towards more nature oriented lifestyles. Generally certain nutritional supplementation in the diets of patients show results in arthritic and osteoporosis conditions. Most effective are Vitamin A, C, E and B complex. Supplementation with zinc, copper, selenium, calcium, magnesium, manganese and boron also helps. But medical advice is strongly recommended to devise a diet chart that may be most effective for a particular case. Usage of glucosamine, which under lab conditions shows replenishment of sinovial fluid, is recommended in different combinations as advised by a doctor. Increased intake of foods rich in essential fatty acids like Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids also have shown positive results.

Yoga Exercises or Yoga Asanas for Arthritis and Osteoporosis

Yoga can prove to be extremely efficient system of controlling and even curing the symptoms of arthritis and osteoporosis. There are various yoga asanas or yoga exercises that strengthen the musculo-skeletal system. These are given under the sections of Yoga in Daily Life and yoga asanas or yoga exercises. Also endocrinal system can be stimulated by doing Nabhiyasana. Practice of meditation and inner visualization through yoga nidra can also help where the vision is focussed on regeneration process of the tissues of the system.

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